Cutter for thread spools



May 15, 1934..

H. M. ALLAIN 1,959,146

CUTTER FOR THREAD SPOOLS Original Filed June 16. 19 1 O M W a W O ATTORNEY Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES CUTTER roa THREAD SPOOLSHenry M. Allain, Acushnet, Mass., assignor to A. H. Rice 00.,Pittsfield, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts Original applicationJune 16, 1931 Serial No. 544,854, now Patent No. 1,908,005, dated May 9,1933. Divided and this application March 24, 1933, Serial No. 662,411

1 Claim.

end of the spool, the present application being a division of myco-pending application Serial No. 544,854, filed June 16, 1931, and nowPatent No. 1,908,005, issued May 9, 1933.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved type ofcutter blade which is adapted for attachment to an operating memberassociated with the end of a spool to be cut and which is actuated bysaid member to form a groove or channel that extends across the face ofsaid end and terminates in notches also cut by said blade in theperiphery of the spool.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the followingdetailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a mechanism with which thecutter blade is associated, showing the latter in its operative positionwith reference to a spool.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section illustrating the cutter and operatingmechanism therefor, the former being shown in its inoperative position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the cutter in the sameposition as in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the cutter and its support, and

Figure 5 is an end view of a spool which has been out.

As is well known, spools upon which thread is wound are printed withsuitable indicia at both ends thereof, and, for this purpose, there isemployed a printing mechanism consisting of two dies which cooperate tosimultaneously engage the opposite ends of a spool so as to impress theprinted matter thereon. The present invention proposes the utilizationof such a printing mechanism for cutting a groove and notches in one endof a spool, and, in so doing, accomplishes the dual function of printingand cutting at the same time.

The invention is illustrated as applied to such a printing mechanism andonly so much of the latter is shown as is necessary to a completeunderstanding of the present mechanism. Thus, in known machines, thereis usually provided two rotating heads 7 and 8 disposed in opposedrelation and driven in opposite directions ,(as indicated by the arrowsin Figure 1) by a suitable gearing shown in detail in the aforesaidpending application. The spools 14 to be printed are fed down aninclined chute 15 to a position between the two heads 7 and 8 where aspool is engaged, upon each successive revolution of said heads, by theprinting dies 16 and 17 which impress the printing indicia upon therespective ends of the spool, following which said dies are disengagedfrom the spool by continued rotation of the heads, and the spool is thendropped from the machine.

The printing die 16 is of the usual construction employed in printingmechanisms of this character, but the die 17 is modified to adapt thepresent cutter thereto. As shown in Figure 2 the die 17, which isdetachably secured to the head 8 by means of a screw 18, is providedwith a longitudinal opening 19, the inner end of which is enlarged asindicated at 20, and in the outer end of said die the same is providedwith slots 21 diametrically disposed on opposite sides of the opening 19and in which is movable the cutter generally indicated by the numeral22. Said cutter is of a length greater than the diameter of the die sothat the ends of the cutter extend outwardly beyond said die. The cutter22 is carried in the outer end of a plunger 23 and'detachably securedtherein by means of dowel pins or like fasteners 24. The inner end ofthe plunger 23 is connected to a head 25 and interposed between thelatter and the forward end of the enlarged portion 20 of the opening 19is an expansion spring 26 coiled about the plunger and operable tomaintain the same in a normally retracted position relative to the outerend of the die. The plunger 23 is operated to project the cutter 22 intoengagement with the end of the spool 14 as the die 17 comes in contacttherewith. For this purpose, there is mounted upon the frame 2'7 of theprinting mechanism a cam member 28 adjustable back and forth along saidframe by means of an adjusting screw 29 and secured in its adjustedpositions by the set screw 30. The cam 28 is suitably positioned in thepath of movement of a cam roller 31 carried by the rotating head 8 andjoined to the head 25 by an angular arm 32 which is slidable back andforth in said head 8 under the influence of the spring 26 and the cam28. Thus, as the roller 31 engages the inclined surface of said cam,when the head 8 is traveling in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1,the arm 32 moves outwardly and forces the plunger 23 in the samedirection against the tension of the spring 26, thus causing the cutter22 to be projected beyond the end of the die 17 and into engagement withthe end of the spool 14 to perform the cutting operation. As the roller31 passes over the high point of the cam 28, the plunger 23 is againcaused to recede into the head 8 by the action of the spring 26, thusagain retracting the cutter. Upon each revolution of the heads 7 and 8,the faces of the respective dies 16 and 17 wipe over inking rollers 33,as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

Although the mechanism shown is one in which the printing and cuttingoperations upon the spool are performed simultaneously, it will beunderstood that the invention is not who construed as limited to suchaction, nor that the printing dies need be employed to carry the cutter.If it is not desired to print the ends of the spool at the time of thecutting operation, said'diesmay be replaced by heads of any character,one of which serves as an abutment for one end of the spool while theother has the cutter thereon.

As shown, the cutter 22 of the present invention comprises asubstantially fiat blade, the ends of which are enlarged or widened-toform end sections 34 which are tapered outwardly, and the inner ends ofsaid sections, together with the adjacent edge of the blade proper, aresharpened to form the end and, intermediate cutting edges 35 and 36,respectively, which are disposed coincidentally with the centrallongitudinal plane of the blade. The length of the edge 36 is slightlyless than the diameter of the spool 14 to be cut and the edges 35 extenddiagonally from and form a. continuation of the edge. 36. apparent that,when the edges are brought into contact with the end of a spool, agroove 37 (Figure 5) will be cut, by the edge 36, diametrically acrossthe face of said end in intersecting relation tothe axial opening 38 ofthe spool and,

It will thus be.

through the cooperation of the edges 35 with said edge 36, notches 39will be formed in the periphcry of said end which join the ends of saidgroove. Thus formed, the groove and notches are adapted to receive theloose end of a thread subsequently wound upon the spool and, due to thesharpness of the cutting edges and consequent narrowness of the grooveand notches, said loose end will be frictionally held in the notches andgroove and countersunk in the latter until withdrawn by grasping andpulling that portion of the thread which extends across the opening 38of the spool.

By having the cutting edges 35 of sufficient length and by their outwarddivergence from the blade, spools which have only slight variations indiameter may be cut by the same blade, but should it be desired to cutconsiderably larger spools, it is only necessary to replace the presentcutter with one of greater length.

That is claimed is:

A blade for cutting a diametrical groove with end notches in an end of aspool, comprising a flat blade having an elongated cutting edge forforming a thread-receiving groove extending entirely across an end ofthe spool, and also having additional cutting edges extending obliquelyand laterally from both ends of the first-named edge for forming notchesin the periphery of said spool, said elongated cutting edge being ofsuch thickness that the Walls of the groove formed thereby will beirictionally engaged by a thread therein, the cutting edges of saidblade being formed so that the blade may be inserted into the end of thespool parallelly to the axis of said spool, both sides of said cuttingedges being bevelled.

HENRY M. AL AIN- E

